Chapter 61

[ 1,504 words ]

Samantha’s POV

“They are going to hate me,” I muttered under my breath, my fingers clenching the hem of my sweater as we walked on the uneven dirt path toward the pack house, and as we passed by several pack members, their eyes were trained on me with questioning gaze.

Dominic’s stride did not falter as he gripped my hand tighter. “They will respect my choice,” he remarked, with a faint hint of frustration that he did not bother to hide.

Respect his choice? The concept felt foreign to me now, like something out of reach.

“You don’t understand. I did not just leave, Dominic. I disappeared. I abandoned my role, my place, my duties. Do you have any idea how much damage that must have caused?” My voice cracked despite my efforts to keep it controlled.

He stopped so abruptly that I nearly stumbled. Turning to face me, he cupped my cheek with his free hand, his dark eyes boring into mine as he spoke. “They will understand, and they will accept you because you are their Luna. You always have been. And because I said so.”

He spoke like everything was certain and that no one would question him, but I knew that even though they would not do it in front of me, they would start talking behind my back.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to muster the same confidence he exuded so effortlessly, but I still could not calm myself, still feeling the eyes that bore behind me. “Do you honestly think it is that simple?” I whispered over the sound of rustling leaves. “You think they will forget how I ran away in the middle of everything, how I left them… left you, without so much as a goodbye? I am not just some stranger stepping into their lives, Dominic. I am the one who betrayed their trust. How do you expect them to forgive that?”

His jaw tightened, his fingers brushing lightly against my cheek before he dropped his hand. “Because they will see what I see. A woman strong enough to come back, to face the people she thinks she failed. That is what makes you their Luna, Samantha. Not perfection. Not the past.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak. His words were convincing, almost too persuasive, and for a brief moment, I wanted to believe him. But the doubts remained, clawing at the edges of my mind.

“You are putting too much faith in them,” I said, looking away. “And in me.”

His grip on my hand tightened slightly, pulling me closer. “You don’t need their forgiveness to prove your worth,” he said, his voice dropping low enough that it felt like a secret meant only for me. “You just need to stand tall and remind them who you are.”

Who I am. The words lingered in my mind as I glanced back toward the trees hovering in the forest, almost hiding the pack house from the public human eyes, their branches swayed gently in the wind as if to remind me of the place I had taken when I ran away. Once upon a time, I had been their Luna, their leader. I had worn the title like a badge of honor, pouring everything I had into being the woman they needed me to be. But that woman felt like a stranger now, buried beneath layers of fear and regret.

“Dominic,” I said after a pause, my voice trembling slightly, “what if they never trust me again? What if—”

“They will,” he interrupted, leaving no more room for discussion. “And if they don’t, they will learn to.”

I bit my lip, glancing down at where our hands were joined. His confidence in me was almost suffocating, but it also gave me the smallest glimmer of hope. Maybe he was right. Maybe coming back was not about erasing the past but building something new.

But as we continued walking, the sinking feeling in my stomach only deepened. His confidence might have been enviable, but it was not contagious.

The whispers started before we even reached the main courtyard.

“That’s her?”

“She actually came back?”

“I heard she ran off to another pack.”

Dominic did not seem fazed, his hand tightening around mine as if to remind me he was there. But their stares were difficult to ignore, they were like tiny daggers pricking at my skin.

A group of women standing near the fountain did not bother lowering their voices.

“Look at her,” one of them said, her tone laced with disdain. “She does not even belong here anymore.”

“The Alpha must be desperate,” another whispered, her lips curling into a smirk.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, and my steps faltered. The courtyard was buzzing with quiet murmurs, packs of wolves huddled together with their gazes flickering between me and Dominic.

“Keep walking,” Dominic uttered firmly.

But my feet would not move. Their words stuck to me like glue, dragging me down, pulling me back into the doubts I had been trying so hard to push away.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Dominic turned to me with a stern expression. “Yes, you can.”

“Dominic—”

“No,” he said, cutting me off. His hand cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at him. “You are my Luna, Samantha. I don’t care what they think.”

His words were meant to be comforting, but the tension in his jaw told me he was just as angry as I was hurt.

“Alpha,” one of the older men greeted Dominic, respectful but cautious. His eyes flickered to me for a moment. “It’s… been a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” Dominic replied. “Samantha is back where she belongs.”

The man’s gaze lingered on me, and I forced myself to meet it, even though I felt like a deer caught in headlights.

“Back where she belongs?” someone muttered from the crowd.

Another voice chimed in, louder this time. “She abandoned us.”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the group, some nodding in agreement, others exchanging uncertain glances.

“I did not abandon anyone,” I uttered. “I left because I thought it was the best choice at the time.”

“And now you think you can just waltz back in like nothing happened?” a woman asked, stepping forward. Her arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed. “Do you even know what we have been through since you left?”

“Enough,” Dominic ordered and the murmurs ceased instantly, all eyes snapping to him. “If anyone has an issue with Samantha being here, you can take it up with me.”

The courtyard fell silent and their gazes lowered.

I took a shaky breath, as a thought entered my mind. I could not do this. No matter how much Dominic defended me, no matter how many times he declared me his Luna, the truth was staring me in the face: they did not want me here.

“I should go,” I said quietly, stepping back.

Dominic’s head snapped toward me, his eyes narrowing. “You are not going anywhere.”

“Dominic, they do not want me here,” I said, my voice breaking. “You can’t force them to accept me.”

“I can,” he said fiercely. “And I will.”

But I shook my head, pulling my hand free from his. “This is not about you forcing them. It is about me earning their trust back. And right now, I don’t think that is possible.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked away, ignoring the way my heart clenched with every step.

Dominic caught up with me outside the courtyard, “You are not leaving,” he said, stepping in front of me.

“I should,” I argued.

“Damn it, Samantha,” he growled, running a hand through his hair. “Do you think I care what they say? What they think?”

“Maybe you don’t,” I shot back. “But I do. And you should too. You are their Alpha, Dominic. Their respect matters.”

“They will respect you because I demand it,” he said.

I shook my head, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “That is not how it works. You can’t force respect, Dominic. It has to be earned. And right now, I am not sure I even deserve it.”

He stared at me, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. For a moment, neither of us spoke, the silence stretching between us like an unbridgeable chasm.

Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“What are you doing?” I asked, frowning.

“Fixing this,” he said shortly, dialing a number.

I watched as he stepped away, his voice low as he spoke into the phone. I could not make out his words, but his posture was tense, his free hand running through his hair as he paced.

When he hung up, he turned back to me.

“Who did you call?” I asked, my voice wary.

“Ethan,” he said simply.

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